The search for the wedding banquet venue (Part 1)

And we began the hunt for the ideal wedding venue with some lofty ideals.

Our selection criteria:

• available for booking on 10 Oct 2010, 23 Oct 2010, 12 Sept 2010 or 18 Sept 2010
  
• reasonably-priced
• accomodation for 35 to 40 tables
• reasonably-delicious food
• interior of the ballroom (preferably no pillars to block the view)
  

We visited a number of hotels and we also took photos of the ballrooms so that we can share with our families and get their comments. Although it is OUR wedding, I thought it would be nice to also involve our families and get them to participate, wherever possible. Of course, there are also times when everyone has differing views and Bob and I will try to compromise to keep everyone happy. I know we don't really have to do that (because it's OUR wedding) but I just feel more assured and comfortable with the decisions made when (almost) everyone gives the green light to go ahead (I think I just need the reassurance). Our families have been quite supportive. Giving us their opinion and advice without imposing their will on us and suggesting alternatives where relevant, etc.

First stop: Orchard Parade Hotel
The wedding banquet would be handled by Club Chinois (should be quite palatable, given Tung Lok's reputation for good food). The ballroom looked cosy but it could only hold about 32 tables (likely to be too small). There were also 2 pillars which would potentially block the guests' view of the stage. It was the first one we visited and the first to be axed due to capacity constraints.


Second stop: Orchard Hotel
The banquet would be catered by Wah Ting (a reputable Cantonese restaurant). The minimum capacity for Ballroom 1&2 was 40 tables and it could hold up to 50 tables (within our range although the minimum capacity requirement appears to be on the high side). The interior was grand ... high ceiling, no pillars, chandeliers, spacious, L-shape march-in. As the price was a bit on the high side for a 4-star hotel, we did not seriously consider it as one of our best choices after that.



Third stop: Park Royal on Scotts
The hotel lobby was really elegant and impressive. But we did not even get to visit the ballroom/function room because the maximum capacity was only 10 tables. We were surprised by the lack of a function room (of a respectable size) as the opulence and grandeur of the lobby suggested otherwise.

Fourth stop: Grand Hyatt
The banquet would be handled by a team of banquet chefs (which leaves some doubt on the quality of the food). The ballroom ceiling was really low but the sales manager was saying that this gave the ballroom a really cosy feel. I kinda agreed and it was pretty dark too especially with the black table cloth and this combined to give a rather sleepy and dreamy feel to the ambience with the down lighting.

One memorable remark was that the manager mentioned about having extra-wide seats (that catered to large posteriors... ahem...) and this was supposed to be a differentiating factor in our consideration. Anyway, the pricing was a bit on the high side for us so this was struck off the list as well.


Fifth stop: Concorde Hotel (the old Le Meridien)
It was already after office hours when we finally made our way to Concorde Hotel. The sales personnel probably had already called it a day so the Catering Director had to attend to us instead. He was a really nice person ... very attentive and sincere. Bob was not too impressed by the retail outlets and the general outlook of the facade that shared the premises with Concorde Hotel and the overall "feel". The ballroom capacity was able to accomodate 30+ to 40+ tables.

When we visited the ballroom, there was an ongoing L'Oreal sales function and the numerous chandeliers caught my eye. We decided to place a tentative booking with Concorde on 12 Sept 2010 as the other dates were no longer available.


Sixth stop: Holiday Inn Parkview
The ballroom really looked ok. But it just got this very strong "Indian" feel about it. Not trying to be a racist here, but we really felt kinda out of place when we were there. First, we were greeted by the statute of an Indian god (Bob said it's Ganesh ... well ... I am not too sure about that) sitting in the hotel lobby. It was right above the reception ... no one would miss it. Then we realised that the majority of the hotel guests were Indians. Even the receptionist and the Manager who attended to us were non-Chinese (I am seriously not trying to be a racist here). In fact, we felt weird to be enquirying them about Chinese wedding banquet.


Not a very fruitful day for us even though we have covered 6 venues. It was really tiring to be walking for the whole afternoon. But we had a good dinner with my family at Ah Yat Seafood and shared with them our findings for the day.

Sonia